FS7: Tips on shooting real estate videos with FS7?

A

alohype

Veteran
Hi everyone!
Anyone keen to share tips for shooting real estate videos with FS7?
What sort of setup do you use (lens, gimbal etc.) and what setting do you find works the best (what aperture, what shutter speed, profile etc.).
Many thanks for all kind of info. If you have some examples please feel free to post (I will appreciate :)
 
1) Do your best to get as much natural light into the real estate as you can. You should be properly exposed or exposed +1 stop. It's more important not to loose too much shadow detail inside than it is to keep windows from blowing out.

2) Wide angle lenses shot at diagonals to rooms (into corners) as well as having the camera slightly below eye level looking up will all have the effect of making rooms look larger. Don't go overboard with the low angle, think about the point of view of someone who is 4'.

3) Depth is your friend, so open all the interior doors in the house. If possible, showing doorways into other rooms or hallways will make the place feel more open.

4) Your depth of field should be fairly large. I'd probably aim to be shooting around F5.6. However, with wider lenses this is less critical; if you are using a 20mm lens, you can be at f2.8 and have plenty of depth of field. Your primary concern is exposure, but if you have the latitude, move to f5.6-f8 before you add ND.

5) Shutter speed should be 180 degrees (1/48 @ 24p, 1/50 @25p, 1/60 @30p, 1/120 @60p)

6) If there are special features to the building (ornate fireplaces or faucets, a nice mailbox, or anything that really stands out), don't be afraid to switch to a longer lens and get shots of those items to mix in with the wide shots.

Camera movement is almost always a good thing to add. It should ALWAYS be smooth, and relatively subtle. A slider would probably be the best direction, although a jib (while a lot more trouble) can make beautiful shots. A steadicam or gimbal would be wildly overkill unless you have one and don't have a jib or slider.
 
Wide lens. As much natural light as possible. Slow pans. Here's one I did with the FS5 and the Samyang 14mm for most of the shots. The lady wanted a long video to remember her house she was selling. I didn't put too much into it as it was only 200.00. The wind was crazy outside!

Funny (not funny) story. The lady didn't like how the wide angle lens made the angles of the room look a little warped. I explained that that is normal for real estate shots, as we try to fit as much of the room into one shot as possible. Then I showed her a bunch of still shots from various real estate listings I found on the web. She was not buying it, so she found someone who said they could shoot her house without the warped dimensions of a wide lens. So this woman made her a video using what looks like an iPhone hand held, then stabilized in post - including CMOS warping. The client went with the iPhone video! So maybe ignore my advice and just walk around carelessly carrying an iPhone. But seriously, if you go the hand held rout (like an OSMO) try not to move too fast.

Here's the iPhone video. I can't begin to understand some client's preferences.
 
ChristopherA said:
1) Do your best to get as much natural light into the real estate as you can. You should be properly exposed or exposed +1 stop. It's more important not to loose too much shadow detail inside than it is to keep windows from blowing out.

2) Wide angle lenses shot at diagonals to rooms (into corners) as well as having the camera slightly below eye level looking up will all have the effect of making rooms look larger. Don't go overboard with the low angle, think about the point of view of someone who is 4'.

3) Depth is your friend, so open all the interior doors in the house. If possible, showing doorways into other rooms or hallways will make the place feel more open.

4) Your depth of field should be fairly large. I'd probably aim to be shooting around F5.6. However, with wider lenses this is less critical; if you are using a 20mm lens, you can be at f2.8 and have plenty of depth of field. Your primary concern is exposure, but if you have the latitude, move to f5.6-f8 before you add ND.

5) Shutter speed should be 180 degrees (1/48 @ 24p, 1/50 @25p, 1/60 @30p, 1/120 @60p)

6) If there are special features to the building (ornate fireplaces or faucets, a nice mailbox, or anything that really stands out), don't be afraid to switch to a longer lens and get shots of those items to mix in with the wide shots.

Camera movement is almost always a good thing to add. It should ALWAYS be smooth, and relatively subtle. A slider would probably be the best direction, although a jib (while a lot more trouble) can make beautiful shots. A steadicam or gimbal would be wildly overkill unless you have one and don't have a jib or slider.
Click to expand...

ChristoperA this is a fantastic piece of knowledge. Many, many thanks for that!!!
 
Beautiful work Steven. I know the neighborhood. We had friends one block north on St Clements. Considering what I know real estate costs in that part of Toronto, I hope you were paid well for it! ;)

Ned Soltz
 
nsoltz said:
Beautiful work Steven. I know the neighborhood. We had friends one block north on St Clements. Considering what I know real estate costs in that part of Toronto, I hope you were paid well for it! ;)

Ned Soltz
Click to expand...


Thanks Ned,
this was a one afternoon "quicky" for my regular developer client (stills mostly). He wanted a "movie" so I did this. He loved it. Real-estate in Toronto is pretty much insane in any area...

Done with Sony F3 (now sold), Cineslider and few lenses...
 
Chadfish said:
Wide lens. As much natural light as possible. Slow pans. Here's one I did with the FS5 and the Samyang 14mm for most of the shots. The lady wanted a long video to remember her house she was selling. I didn't put too much into it as it was only 200.00. The wind was crazy outside!

Funny (not funny) story. The lady didn't like how the wide angle lens made the angles of the room look a little warped. I explained that that is normal for real estate shots, as we try to fit as much of the room into one shot as possible. Then I showed her a bunch of still shots from various real estate listings I found on the web. She was not buying it, so she found someone who said they could shoot her house without the warped dimensions of a wide lens. So this woman made her a video using what looks like an iPhone hand held, then stabilized in post - including CMOS warping. The client went with the iPhone video! So maybe ignore my advice and just walk around carelessly carrying an iPhone. But seriously, if you go the hand held rout (like an OSMO) try not to move too fast.

Here's the iPhone video. I can't begin to understand some client's preferences.
Click to expand...


Ehh...I kind of get it. I don't think she chose based on technical aspect (no contest, obviously) but what felt most like her home. You are both moving the camera quite a bit, so the need for an ultra wide lens is reduced. In still image real estate photos, the shots are usually wide to be inclusive. With video you can include more with camera movement to tell the story. Also your wide angles were shot from a high vantage point and tilted so the vertical lines skew in an off putting way. I always try to keep the sensor parallel to the vertical lines and adjust my height accordingly to keep skew down. Just my thoughts.

Also, was this to sell her home? If so I'm surprised neither video had an uncluttered desk or a shot of the toilet with the seat down.
 
Josh-Glover said:
Ehh...I kind of get it. I don't think she chose based on technical aspect (no contest, obviously) but what felt most like her home. You are both moving the camera quite a bit, so the need for an ultra wide lens is reduced. In still image real estate photos, the shots are usually wide to be inclusive. With video you can include more with camera movement to tell the story. Also your wide angles were shot from a high vantage point and tilted so the vertical lines skew in an off putting way. I always try to keep the sensor parallel to the vertical lines and adjust my height accordingly to keep skew down. Just my thoughts.

Also, was this to sell her home? If so I'm surprised neither video had an uncluttered desk or a shot of the toilet with the seat down.
Click to expand...

Like I said it was for her to remember her home. It had already sold.
 
I try to make property videos look as different to photos (with auto-Ken Burns applied) as possible. Some estate agents like to call moving photos 'videos', so the client has to get a lot more in my books.

Here's one I did with drone as well as jib/slider: https://vimeo.com/139001630

and here's one with a bit of timelapse (towards the end): https://vimeo.com/141695146

Incidentally I buy in drone services and it can be very hit and miss. Personally I'm not super impressed with the DJI footage I've been given by various operators using x3 and x5 DJI cameras. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I find these camera/clips generate a lot of artifacts in Premiere CC when downscaling from 4K and grading. Also the drone clips in the first video above had a nasty green tint to them... but the operator did white balance (it was a cloudy overcast day). Recently I had another operator give me clips with the wrong fps and the wrong profile (should have been D-log). But it was a freebie, so I couldn't go back and complain.

So if you do hire in a drone company/operator really check their credentials. Ask them some technical video related questions since I've noticed a few of them are former RC hobiests who now clasify themselves as Pros for aerial footage (and are even qualified with the CAA here in the UK). Bottom line, they may fly well but often will give you sub par footage. You want someone who ticks both boxes.
 
That Farmhouse video was nice! I'm a videographer who got into aerial 5 years ago, so I try to maximize what the camera can do. A lot of RC guys try to pass themselves off as videographers and it doesn't work out. I use the DJI Inspire (I gave in after years of putting together various contraptions). I think a mistake many of the DJI shooters make is not using a proper ND filter. I use Snake River Prototyping ND/CP filters, which allow me to keep the proper shutter speed. Without an nd, or even with the weak little ND DJI supplies, you get a lot of crunchy artifacts. I shoot in log, 4k, 30p, with contrast - sharpening - saturation turned down, and that leaves me an image I can work with in post. With the shutter too fast I get weird strobing in high detail areas of the image. I want the RAW camera, but I only want to record in Prores rather than the insane DNG. The post work and file size with RAW (X5R camera) is just more of a hassle for 99% of the jobs I do. Anyway here's a propery shoot of the roofs of a business I shot to be used in a TV ad. I don't get many artifacts, given it's basically a GoPro without the fisheye lens, and only recording at 60mbps.
 
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I miss on all these videos a comment, an explanation, a guidance. Either by a presenter, a voice over narrator or at least subtitles. It is boring seeing just peoples' bed sheets or couches and I don't have to see the pool three times. Make it short and create a tension that the prospective buyer is keen to see the estate by himself quite soon. It's more a question of marketing than of filming techniques. my 0,02$
 
Clermond said:
I miss on all these videos a comment, an explanation, a guidance. Either by a presenter, a voice over narrator or at least subtitles. It is boring seeing just peoples' bed sheets or couches and I don't have to see the pool three times. Make it short and create a tension that the prospective buyer is keen to see the estate by himself quite soon. It's more a question of marketing than of filming techniques. my 0,02$
Click to expand...

While I understand your perspective and in some cases text or narration might add something, keep in mind not every property video is aimed at a 'buyer'. I often make them for holiday lets where potential customers do want to see the pool from three different angles and whether the beds and couches look clean and comfy. If you're about to push the button on a $5000 holiday let a short tense (and frustrating) video isn't going to cut it.
 
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